End of Democracy in Britain?

A columist for the Guardian is claiming that a new bill in Parliament will rip the heart out of parliamentary democracy. Sounds like modern government to me.

Presidential Ambitions and Student Riots in France

For weeks, French students have been protesting a new labor law that allows for some workers under the age of 26 to be fired at will during their first two years of employment (France has strong rules protecting workers against dismissal). In the last few days, the labor unions connected with France's Communist Party have begun to side with the students. There have even been calls for general strikes, an escalation of the general labor militancy found in France. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin at first refused to back down, heightening the crisis.

This kind of crisis is common in France. The conflict has reminded many of the standoff between French students and workers against Charles de Gaulle in the late 1960s. One possibility for why de Villepin has been so intransigent is that he sees himself as another de Gaulle. In fact, de Villepin is trying to raise his credibility among French conservatives who are hostile to the labor unions (a trait he shares with de Gaulle) because France will be holding a presidential election next year. De Villepin is staking his claim as de Gaulle's successor and trying to distinguish himself from his first round opponents from his own and other right parties. A victory over the unions would have essentially guaranteed him a free pass into the second round of the election.

 Unfortunately for de Villepin, the idea has proven so unpopular with the French public that he has been forced to consider changing the law. He wants to find a compromise, perhaps by shortening the two year period of the law. However, doing so will be viewed as caving to the unions, which will be a major buzz kill in the election.

UPDATED 3-27-06 with some news story links and corrected title.

A Common European Driver's License?

Europeans are not as fanatical about driving as Americans, but I cannot help but think that this will affect attitudes towards Europe:

EU ministers are set to hammer out a plan to replace the 110 existing types of driving licence with a single document recognised across the bloc, at a meeting on 27 March.

The move comes after member states' officials agreed a compromise text following months of wrangling over details of the legislation - criticised mainly by Germany and Austria.

Berlin had objected to a proposal that the new driving licence should be valid for only ten years, but under the deal reached last week national capitals can choose between ten and fifteen years for the validity of the documents - expected to be issued from 2012.

In typical EU fashion, once adopted, the old member states licenses would not completely disappear until 2032. However, I cannot help but think that this will make people think more of Europe every time they open their wallet.

Link: Member states to approve EU driving licence.

FPÖ petitions for Referendum

Another example of the far-right using the EU to push their agenda:

Austria's far-right Freedom Party has collected enough signatures for a parliament debate on holding a referendum on Turkey's EU membership and the EU constitution.

The "Austria, stay free" petition was launched by the FPO (Freedom Party) on March 6 and closed on late 13 March.

According to the interior ministry, the poll gathered 258,277 signatures, above the threshold of 100,000 supporters needed to push the parliamentary debate on its proposal.


The proposal is not expected to be adopted by Austria's Parliament, but it does make it an issue for the next election.

Link: Austria to debate referendum on Turkey and EU constitution.

Angry Berlusconi

Berlusconi loses temper on TV:

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has stormed out of a television interview after being asked some awkward questions about his business affairs and the war in Iraq.

Mr Berlusconi was taking part in a 30-minute interview on Italian state channel Rai Tre on Sunday (12 March) but left the set after 20 minutes.

According to the BBC, the journalist asked Mr Berlussconi why he was only known on the international scene for his support of US President George W Bush in Iraq and for possible conflicts of commercial and political interest.

He responded by accusing the journalist, Lucia Annunziata of bias, prejudice and being "on the left."

Reacting to the comments, Ms Annunziata said, "this is my show, I'll decide the questions."

Shortly afterwards he stormed out of the interview. His performance comes just weeks before Italy’s general elections in April and a few days before his first TV debate with arch rival Romano Prodi.